NU: Father Levesque to sign Presidents' Climate Commitment Nov. 15

by jmaloni

Tue, Nov 13th 2012 03:15 pm

The Rev. Joseph L. Levesque,
C.M., Niagara University president, will sign the American College &
University Presidents' Climate Commitment at 1 p.m. on Nov. 15, which also happens
to be America Recycles Day. The pledge signifies the university's plan to
eliminate the campus' net emissions of greenhouse gases over a period of time.

The Presidents' Climate
Commitment is an initiative that commits the university to taking actions to
achieve climate neutrality for the university. Climate neutrality means that
the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from the university's activities are
either eliminated directly by reducing fossil fuel energy use or offset by new
activities that retain those gases, such as tree planting.

The PCC requires the
following:

• *Create a committee to
oversee the implementation of the PCC.

• *Complete a greenhouse gas
inventory of the university.

• *Create a climate action
plan within two years to reduce waste and eventually aim for carbon neutrality.

•Create a timeline for
implementing the components of the climate action plan.

•Incorporate sustainability
into the curriculum.

•Provide public access to all
reports, progress and achievements of the PCC.

*Niagara has already fulfilled these items.

"Signing this pledge is just
one measure of Niagara University's commitment to creating a sustainable campus
community," Levesque said. "We pride ourselves in modeling this pledge to
environmental awareness in hopes that our students, alumni and friends will
join us in addressing the human causes of global warming."

For years, Niagara University
has charged a sustainability task force with driving its impetus toward
creating a more environmentally friendly campus.

When classrooms in DePaul
Hall were renovated in 2010, they were outfitted with energy-efficient windows,
low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials and low-odor paints. DePaul's
classroom windows are now drawn with shades that reduce solar heat gain and conserve
energy. Even the furniture within the classrooms is "green," made by Herman
Miller, a company whose strong commitment to corporate sustainability includes
minimizing the environmental impact of each of their products.

In 2007, when the Academic
Complex/Bisgrove Hall was constructed on Niagara's campus, the facility was
built to meet LEED specifications. University officials are also striving to
ensure that the B. Thomas Golisano Center for Integrated Sciences, when it
opens next fall, meets LEED Silver certification guidelines.

Additionally, Niagara has
already adopted a program that calls for the university to exclusively purchase
Energy Star certified appliances.

"This commitment is an
important step for Niagara University to indicate our obligation to
sustainability and emerge as a national leader in this area," said Dave Ederer,
chair of the sustainability task force at NU. "We're excited about being part
of this initiative."

The PCC, which has been
signed by 661 presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities to date,
expresses concern about "the unprecedented scale and speed of global warming
and its potential for large-scale, adverse health, social, economic and
ecological effects."

The college and university
presidents and chancellors who are joining and leading the commitment have said
that exerting leadership in addressing climate change will stabilize and reduce
their long-term energy costs, attract excellent students and faculty, attract
new sources of funding and increase the support of alumni and local
communities.